Hello there everyone, how's it going?  Well then, here is a new story that I'm writing, and I hope that you all enjoy it!  The story was inspired and recommended to me by my Dearly Beloved girlfriend Inori! I hope that you all enjoy this new story, and I hope you follow it and comment on it!  Oh, and by the way, I may not be able to post that often since my internet will be disconnected soon. (My internet wasn't working these weeks so I was on my IPad, but for now I'll try to post as many chapters as I can.)  Enjoy the story everyone!

 

Prologue: One Goal

 

Muffled cheering can be heard from the locker rooms.  Cheers of fans waiting for their hero to emerge and face his next opponent.  He’s been the talk of the city for months now, claiming that he’s one of the most incredible underdogs in boxing.  He’s one of the only rookies in the sport who’s managed to keep an undefeated winning streak, and critics and sports professionals alike have been dazzled by his abilities.  And now, as the crowd pleads for him, he’s ready to face his next opponent.  And so, the young boxer makes his way to the ring, and as he walks down, the lights of the stadium blind him, but after he’s able to adjust his vision, he sees the legions of fans, screaming his name. He smirks and waves to the crowd and strikes a battle pose, and then he heads towards the ring, ready for a fight.

 

And so, with the match about to begin, commentators Nick Brandon and George Smith aim to excite the crowd before the big fight.  Nick looks at George reassuringly, and George starts off the hype: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our exclusive live boxing match of Markus Dominic versus Lance Storm!”  This is a battle that everyone has been waiting for, a match some say, that’s once in a lifetime, isn’t that right Nick?”  Nick smiles and waves his arm excitedly at the crowd and says: “That’s right George, and who would have thought that the rookie Markus Dominic would rise above the ranks and face off against one of the industry giants?”  George nods in agreement and fixes his tie.  “How right you are Nick, it’s a surprising fact to us all.  He came out of nowhere just eight months ago, and just look at him now, with his legions of fans and his skills to back him up.  He’s unstoppable!”

 

They both nod in agreement, and the fans roar of excitement.  “Well, it seems that the crowd is hyped for this match, don’t you think so Nick?”  Nick nods and looks excited himself.  “That’s correct George! And now, ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for the match!”  As they continue discussing the latest news in sports events, Markus looks eagerly at his opponent Lance, and Markus’ coach, Mr. Craig, looks at him with a concerned look on his face.  Markus then looks at Mr. Craig, and his smirk fades into a frown.  “Hey, why the long face?” he asks.  Mr. Craig sighs and says: “Look Markus, we both know how talented you are, but Lance is a tough customer, and trust me when I say that it’s bad for you to fight him!”  Markus rolls his eyes and says: “Stop being so overprotective, your worse than my parents. Look, I know the risks that came along with this, but I’m prepared for whatever happens.  You just worry about keeping me up to speed and stitching me up when I get down, okay?”  Mr. Craig nods reluctantly, and Markus’ smirk comes back to his face, and he turns around to face the crowd and wave at them and get them even more excited for the match.  Mr. Craig then thinks to himself: “That boy.  I fear that one day he’s going to get beat down hard, and he may not get back up.  Why is it that those in youth must be so reckless?”  He then goes to the side of the ring and looks onward to the fighters.

 

Markus heads over to Lance, and he nods at him and then the referee makes his way to the ring, and he starts going over the rules.  Markus just ignores him. “Yeah, yeah, we get it already.  You don’t have to constantly be mentioning the rules you know…”

 

Then, when the referee finishes, he rings the bell, and the match begins.  Lance looks at Markus with no show of concern or intimidation in his face.  “Well kid, you made good to get this far, but every rookie must have his first loss.”  Markus laughs and says: “Ha, you wish!”  And then the match begins, and Markus quickly performs a jab to Lance’s jaw, then followed by an uppercut and then he strikes his ribs.  Nick and George marvel at his abilities.  “Unbelievable!  He’s one fast fighter, I mean, the match just started and he’s already taking care of Lance!  Just incredible!  Can you believe this Nick?”  Nick follows up while cheering on for Markus.  “I know how you feel George!  It’s hard to believe that a rookie could have such skill!”  The crowd goes wild as Markus keeps dishing out punishing blows to Lance.  Markus concentrates fully on his opponent, and he immerses himself in the match, drawing out all noise and distraction and only focusing on his target.  And with just the right timing, Markus delivers a fatal jab to Lance’s jaw and he smirks, as he sees Lance’s body falling to the mat.

 

The crowd stands up in anticipation, and Nick and George are awe struck.  Then the referee starts the count.  Markus smirks and lays back on the ropes, relaxing as everyone is cheering his name.  “This is incredible George, just five minutes into the match and he already decimated Lance!”, Nick says in bewildered amazement.  When the referee reaches the count of ten, he declares that the match is over and that Markus is the winner.  Everyone roars of approval as the referee raises his arm.  Nick and George stand up and clap their hands, and they have quite the smiles on their faces.  “Wow Nick, that was quite the spectacular show!  That was truly amazing!”  Nick smiles and pats George’s shoulder and replies: “We only see these kinds of things every once in a lifetime.  This kid’s going to the hall of fame for sure!  He’s elevated his winning streak to 18-0!  Just incredible!”  Markus smirks and makes his way out of the ring and towards the locker room, along with Mr. Craig.

 

“What did I tell you Craig?  I told you I would own that chump.” Markus says with a smirk on his face.  Mr. Craig smiles and shakes his head. “Boy, you have some unnatural luck, you keep coming out of these matches like if they were nothing but rag dolls.” Markus laughs and says: “It’s not luck Craig, it’s skill, and besides, I learned it all from the best coach around.”  Mr. Craig smiles and nods in agreement and then he fetches his keys.  “Okay sunshine, I’m going to rev up the truck, so pack up and let’s go home.  Oh, and by the way, someone’s expecting you.” Mr. Craig says.  Markus raises an eyebrow, but before he can ask, he hears a familiar voice: “Oh come on now Markus, did you already forget me?”  And out of the hallway comes a beautiful woman with green eyes and curly hazel hair perfectly flowing to her shoulders, with quite the features and attractive face.  Markus smiles and says: “I’d never forget you, sweetheart.  Come here.”  They smile and kiss each other, just the kind of kiss you’d see in romantic movies.  The woman smiles and says: “You won again.”

----------------------------

 

A man’s goal becomes his obsession.  As he gains more fame, his values disappear.  Will he awaken before it’s too late?  Or will reality crumble before his very eyes?  Stay tuned for Chapter One: “The Next Step.”

 

Gyahh Im just confused with the katrina and keera thing I mean I know he loves keera but katrina. Omg so intense

Gyahh Im just confused with the katrina and keera thing I mean I know he loves keera but katrina. Omg so intense

I'm so happy your enjoying the story honey, hehe, here's another chapter!

 

Chapter Twenty: Markus vs. The Crimson Shadow

 

  Markus looks at the Crimson Shadow and feels puzzled.  “Show you what I’m made of?  What exactly to you mean by that?”  He hears the Crimson Shadow sigh, and then he folds his arms.  “Don’t you know Markus?  I thought you’d know by now.  It’s in your blood!  Your spirit of supremacy and competition!  Fight me, and show me what your made of.”  Markus then understands what he means.  “Boxing.” he says out loud.  “Exactly.” Says the Crimson Shadow, and then he raises his fists again, and Markus also prepares himself to fight, but then Denzel tugs at his arm.  “Markus, are you sure about this?  You don’t even know what he’s capable of, remember that he always changes things up.  Are you sure you want to go through with this?”  Markus nods.  “He put the lives of my loved ones in danger.  I need to see this through.”

 

(Start Song Here.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruunJJNVJF4

  The Crimson Shadow smiles from underneath his mask and then he applauds.  “Ah, a very admiring showing of bravery!  But bravery will only get you so far.  Now then, let’s begin!”  With that, the Crimson Shadow delivers the first strike, and Markus is barely able to dodge, and he manages to counterattack, but he finds that his strength is not the same as when he used to box three years ago.  The Crimson Shadow takes advantage of this weakness and laughs.  “Ah, I see your strength has failed you.  That accident three years ago was well worth the wait.”  Markus then blocks another attack and tries to deliver an attack, but the Crimson Shadow dodges.  “Huh?  What do you mean?”  The Crimson Shadow laughs.  “All of this was expected.  I made sure to tell Brutus to make sure you didn’t die, so that when you recovered, I could take you down myself, and now I stare at you and see a broken man, and I shall put an end to your misery!”  With that, he delivers a brutal right hook to Markus’ face, and he falls down to the ground in shock.

 

  Denzel steps in to help, but Markus pushes him back.  “No Denzel, this is my fight.  I alone have to do this.”  The Crimson Shadow applauds again.  “Ah, an honorable opponent, you’ve changed since you first started out.”  Markus looks at him in confusion.  “First started out?  How do you know so much about me?  Who the hell are you!?”  With that, the Crimson Shadow takes off his mask, and then Markus sees who he really is.  “No way, this can’t be!  Raven Sable!?”  Raven nods and smiles with a satisfied grin on his face.  “Yes, that’s it.  Now you know who I am. I was one of your opponents, who had the same dream as you.  To win the championship and become a legend.  But you beat me to it, and I went bankrupt after that, and my sponsor didn’t want anything to do with me anymore.  You destroyed my dream Markus, and I find it only fitting that I destroy yours.  And so far I’ve done a great job of it!”  With that he heads towards Markus and starts to pummel Markus, and Markus tries to fight back, but he’s consumed by shock that he takes many hits, and then he falls on the ground, battered and weakened.

 

  Suddenly, Markus feels the memories of his past coming to him again.  Keera…Mr. Craig…the two people that meant the most of him, gone because of his selfishness and actions, and then he stands up, and he manages to strike Raven’s jaw, making him stagger and fall to the floor.

 

  “Ah…so you still have some strength in you after all.  Ha, I only had to make you tick to make you realize it.  Now come at me with all you’ve got you imbecile!”  With that, Markus furiously delivers a series of devastating uppercuts and jabs and hooks, and Raven blocks them all, and he counters his attack each time, but Markus refuses to go down.  He refuses to be brought into the jaws of defeat.  He has to atone for his mistakes, and taking down Raven is the only way he can do so.  He bleeds heavily from a wound on his forehead, and for a moment, he feels dizzy, but he manages to stave off a few more of Raven’s attacks, and then he counters with a devastating flurry of quick attacks to Raven’s ribs, and then he strikes him in the face again.  “You’ve already done enough to screw up my life.  I won’t let you take away my new beginning!”  Raven smiles grimly and wipes off blood from his mouth, and he laughs.  “Ha, you sound so determined.  But your still a broken man, and the deaths of your two loved ones will haunt you for the rest of your life.  Mistakes that you could have prevented! Ha ha ha ha!”

 

  “Shut up!” Markus screams as he performs an uppercut but is stopped short by Raven, who attacks him with a headbutt and throws him to the other side of the hallways of the second floor.  Denzel desperately urges Markus to get back up.  He wants to help Markus badly, but he can see in Markus’ eyes that this is something he wants to do by himself.  Markus slowly stands up, and then he screams in anger and frustration and goes all out on Raven, which suits Raven just fine.  He lets Markus dish out heavy attacks, and then, when he sees that Markus is losing steam, he goes in for a fatal strike to the chest, sending him reeling back.  “It looks like three years of being away from boxing has also clouded your strategies.  Ha, how pathetic.”  Markus, weak and practically beaten, spits blood at Raven’s face and stands up again.  “Shut up, you bastard…”

 

  Raven simply laughs mockingly at Markus, as if being spat on the face was nothing to him.  Markus then goes towards Raven again, but this time he catches him off guard and he strikes him five times in the ribs and then he performs hooks on Raven’s face repeatedly, and Raven actually feels surprised for the first time in a long time, and Denzel opens his jaw in awe as he sees the beating that Raven is taking from a very angered and determined Markus.  “Your not going to stop me from making my new life!  My daughter Michaela is my reason to fight!  And no one will take that away from me!  Especially not a bastard like you!”  Raven laughs and counterattacks, and he strikes Markus’ stomach, making Markus gasps for air and fall to the ground, and this time, he doesn’t stand up again.

 

  With that, Raven laughs and cheers to himself, and then he folds his arms and waves his hand in a confident way.  “You know, this is the most fun I’ve had in a long while!  You’ve proven to become stronger by losing your loved ones!  You know, this is a fight that I think should be viewed by the entire world!  In fact, I’ll come out of retirement and I’ll challenge you to a match!  Oh yes, and the whole world will see you fall once and for all.  Now that will be a show to see.  Chew on that you idiot.”  With that he smiles and spits on Markus’ face, and then he brushes past Denzel and leaves, and Denzel then goes quickly towards Markus and helps him get to his feet.  “I told you Markus, you should have thought of this before doing it.”  Markus says weakly: “I don’t care.  I’m still alive…and I’ll take him down…I have to do it…”

(End Song Here.)

 

  Denzel nods sadly and they head outside, and the minute Joshua and Katrina see them, they quickly head over to them and Denzel tells Joshua to take Markus to the hospital, and Katrina sits beside Markus, and she looks at him in the eyes and she cries.  “Markus…look at you.  Your almost practically dead!  How could you waste your life away like that!?”  Markus looks at her and touches her face.  “Because I need to protect you…and my daughter…I can’t let that madman haunt us for the rest of our lives…Katrina, please understand.”  With that, Markus falls unconscious, and Katrina cries and lays her head on his chest, and Denzel places his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.  “Come on , let’s take him to the hospital.”  With that, they head to the car and they drive to the hospital.

 

  All the while, Markus drifts off in his sleep, dreaming of Keera and Mr. Craig, and then he once again finds himself in a surreal landscape, and he finds himself along the shore of the beach again, and he looks around, searching desperately to find Keera.  He then sees her in the distance, picking up seashells and walking near the water, smiling and looking at the starfish and sea urchins and other sea creatures.  Markus tries to scream out her name, but he finds that he has no voice, but Keera looks at him and smiles, as if she had heard him call her name, and she heads towards him, and Markus feels tears roll down his cheeks, and she wipes them off and hugs him, and he feels her loving embrace.

 

  Then Markus sees her disappear before his very eyes, and the beautiful beach disappears as well, and instead he finds himself in a pitch black space, finding himself alone and lost.  He kneels down and cries, feeling hopeless and defeated, feeling as if the world is crashing down before him.  But then he sees two people standing before him, far away in the distance. When he narrows his eyes to get a better few, he notices that it’s Katrina and Michaela, and then he tries to reach out for them, but they seem further away from him, and he struggles to run towards them, but he feels heavier and heavier, and then, just like that, he wakes up, sweating and breathing heavily in a hospital room.

---------------

 

Markus feels alone and lost, and he doesn’t know what he should do.  Has he truly been broken, like Raven said?  What will his next course of action be?  Stay tuned for Chapter Twenty One: “An Old Rivalry.”

Chapters 18 & 19 were great. Keep going. Also, I feel like Markus should be allowed to from Keera and be with Katrina; he can love Katrina but still hold onto his memories of Keera in his heart. And also again, I think that Katrina would be a great step-mom for Michaela, she's so kind and caring.

Edited September 18, 201312 yr by Keyblade101

Chapter 20 was shocking; awesome fight, and great declaration of Markus's reason to fight is so he can protect

his daughter and Katrina. And also, I had a feeling that the Crimson Shadow was one of Markus's old opponents.

 

P.S. How come you changed your name and avatar picture; I almost didn't realize it was you.

Edited September 18, 201312 yr by Keyblade101

Aww this chapter was depressing for Markus ):

Chapter 20 was shocking; awesome fight, and great declaration of Markus's reason to fight is so he can protecthis daughter and Katrina. And also, I had a feeling that the Crimson Shadow was one of Markus's old opponents. P.S. How come you changed your name and avatar picture; I almost didn't realize it was you.

Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapters! . And I changed my username because it's something I do occasionally. I was first Dark Sora, then Sesshomaru and now I'm Golden Fighter. ^_^

Aww this chapter was depressing for Markus ):

Yay, thank you for reading my story honey! And yes, I made the chapter deliciously depressing for him.

Chapter Twenty One: An Old Rivalry

 

  Markus sits up on the hospital bed, wiping off the sweat from his face and then grunting in pain.  He notices that his wounds are still fresh, and then he lays down on the bed again, feeling tired and weak, and then he sees Denzel come in and sit down in a nearby chair.  Markus looks at Denzel.  “Katrina and Joshua?”  Denzel nods.  “Don’t worry, they’re all right.  I told them to go have lunch, I told them that I’d stay here with you while they eat.”  Markus smiles a bit.  “Thank you, for everything.  I’m sorry I didn’t trust you at first.”  Denzel waves his hand dismissively.  “Nah, it’s okay, I don’t blame you.  But hey, at least you trust me now.  And look, I know it’s none of my business, but back there, while you were fighting with Raven, he told you that you had taken his dream of the boxing championship.  Mind telling me what that’s all about?”

 

(Start Song Here.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OTeuH5pKMc

  With that, Markus sits up and then he spaces out, searching in his pieces of memory the time when he and Raven were fighting each other during his career as a boxer.  Then he looks at Denzel and takes a deep breath.  “Well you see, it was back when I was a boxer, when I first started out.  Back then, I was obsessed with having the championship. I wanted to become one of the greats, to have my place among all those great and immortal legends of boxing.  That was all I ever wanted.  It was my determination to win every match, it was what I thought about day in and day out.  And well, for my third match, I had to face this boxer, who was already years into his career, and I was like, huh, I’m facing one of the greats.  So Raven came down to the ring, and well, since I was kind of an arrogant jerk at the time…I wasn’t actually the nicest guy on the block.”

 

  “So there we were, the both of us going at it full throttle, trying to outmatch each other and trying to outsmart each other, and I could see the look in his eyes that he was surprised that a rookie like me could fight so well.  He said to me that he would knock me out and that he would be the one that ascended to legend.  I just scoffed him and we kept fighting.  Everyone was on fire, they were roaring our names and cheering us on, and we were there, in front of millions of people around the world, fighting to be the contender for the championship.  I swore that I would be making my dream of becoming champion a reality.  It was something that was unparalleled, something that made you feel like you were king of the world.  It was a very riveting fight, and then came the final few seconds of the final round.”

 

  “We were tired, we were worn out, we gave each other’s best in the ring.  But I told myself that it wasn’t enough, that I needed to take the extra step.  And so I summoned up all my courage and willpower and I managed to deal the final blow to Raven, causing him to lose and causing me to become a worthy contender for the championship.  I went over to Raven because I wanted to rub it on his face, but I saw that he lay unconscious, and soon after the paramedics came and took him away.  Back then I didn’t feel any sympathy and I didn’t even bother to worry about what happened to me.  And now, three years later, now that I finally see things clearly, now I see the fool I was, and the mistake I made.  I didn’t even acknowledge him as a boxer, I disrespected him, and that’s the last impression he had of me when he was knocked out.”

 

  Denzel lays back on the chair and folds his arms over his head.  “Ah, so I get it now.  This isn’t exactly about the championship for him.  It’s about respect.  Apparently he’s been doing all this to you so that you learn what respect is.  But damn, you sure were an asshole back then, I don’t know how your girlfriend and your trainer put up with you, no offense though.”  Markus smiles and nods.  “No, don’t be sorry.  Your right, I was an asshole back then.  But everything that happened since then changed my life forever.  I’m not the man who I was Denzel.  I know that Raven won’t want an apology, and so I know that he’ll be expecting me to fight him, and I’ll have to do just that, to settle things once and for all, and hopefully he’ll leave my family alone for good once it’s all over.”  Denzel looks at him sympathetically and then he stands up and walks over to the nearby window.  “You know Markus, you’re a good guy.  You just didn’t realize it back then because you were greedy.  But now, your able to make things right, to correct the wrongs you’ve done.”

(End Song Here.)

 

  Markus nods and lays back on the bed.  “That’s right.  Hey Denzel, could you give me the remote?  It’s in the table over there.”  Denzel walks over to the table and picks up the remote.  “Okay, sure.”  He gives it to Markus and then Markus proceeds to turn on the TV, and much to his surprise, he watches an interesting segment in the news, and Denzel remains quiet.  The news reporter clears his throat and says: “This just in, retired boxer Raven Sable has come out of the shadows and he has officially challenged Markus Dominic, who’s currently on hiatus since his accident.  We had no idea Markus had recovered at the time of this broadcast!  This is surprising news, let’s go to the center of it all, it’s on you Joanne.”

 

  Markus and Denzel then see the news reporter Joanne right in the center of all the ruckus in the city square, where a considerable amount of fans are cheering for Raven and calling out for Markus.  “That’s right everyone, it’s just as you’ve heard it, Raven has barked out a challenge to Markus Dominic, but the question is, will Markus show for this unexpected match?  Here I am to interview the challenger, Raven Sable.  So Raven, why did you decide to come out of retirement and specifically challenge Markus Dominic?”

 

  Raven smirks and he waves his hand dismissively, as if the question itself was idiotic.  “Well, you see Joanne, I came out of retirement because I felt it was about time that I, the great Raven Sable, returned to the ring to remind people of who really deserved a shot at the championship!  Oh, but don’t get me wrong, this isn’t just about the championship!  In fact, that’s only an insignificant thing compared to what I truly want.”  Joanne looks at Raven.  “And could you tell us what is it that you truly want?”  Raven looks right at the camera, as if he was looking right into Markus’ eyes.  “What I truly want Joanne…is to teach Markus Dominic a lesson on respect, and to prove to the world how much of a failure he is.  I’ll make him suffer, I’ll humiliate him.  I’ll make him feel everything that I felt when I was shunned by everyone else.  Oh yes Joanne, this match is personal, and it’s an all out battle that I’ll wage against Markus.  And I’ll make him regret ever crossing paths with me.  Of that you can be certain.”  Joanne looks at Raven with a tinge of fear and then regains her composure.  “Well ladies and gentlemen, that’s the scoop for today, go to our website if you missed our broadcast, back to you Richard.”

 

  Before the news continues being displayed on the screen, Denzel takes the remote from Markus’ hand and turns off the TV and then he sits back in the chair that he was sitting in when he got here in the first place.  “So, it looks like this guy really wants to settle things with you.  The question is, are you ready for whatever he’s got planned?”  Markus nods.  “Just give me a few days, I’ll recover, and then I’ll begin my training.  This isn’t just me I’m fighting for, this is for my daughter, and for you guys.”  Denzel smiles.  “You know Markus, that fiery determination brings back memories of Katrina when she was young.  She had your same sense of confidence, and she still does.”  With that, Denzel leaves Markus alone to ponder with his thoughts, and Markus does so.

 

  Markus stays silent for many minutes, still thinking about what Raven said on the news, thinking about how things will play out.  Now he knows he must get back in the ring.  Everyone expects him to, and the whole world will be expecting to see Markus on the ring.  Then he looks out towards the nearby window and he looks down on the city and the radiant sunlight and the citizens going about their business.  “He wants me to accept his challenge…he wants me to do it in front of the audience…” he thinks to himself, and then he lays back on the bed, and he sighs and puts his hands on his face, exhausted and tired of it all.  “I just want all this to end…”  And just then, Katrina comes into his thoughts, and he finds himself thinking about her fiercely, and thinking about the way she showed her concern to him.  It touched his heart the moment he thought of that.

 

  And with that, Markus finds the strength inside him, the strength that he knows that he will need for the coming battle.  It’s not going to be easy.  In fact, if things turn out for the worst, this time he might even die, like he should have three years ago.  But before he trains, before he does anything of the sort, he’s going to spend time with his daughter.  That’s the first thing that comes into his mind.  “My little Michaela.”  He smiles and then, before he knows it, he’s sound asleep.

--------------------

 

Now that Markus knows of the challenge he must face, he must prepare himself in both body and soul for a battle that will decide his future.  What will happen as time continues to pass?  Prepare yourselves for Chapter Twenty Two: “What Truly Matters.”

That was a great chapter. Markus knows who and what he has to fight for. Keep going. I can't wait for little Michaela to come back again. I thought she was so cute.

Chapter Twenty Two: What Truly Matters

 

  After a week, the doctors say that Markus is cleared and that he’s able to continue his life normally, and the instant that Markus makes his way out the door, he sees Denzel, Joshua and Katrina waiting for him, and he smiles and heads over to them.  Katrina quickly runs towards him and hugs him and cries, and he returns her embrace, while Denzel and Joshua smirk, indicating with their facial gestures that he and Katrina make a fine couple.  Markus rolls his eyes and blushes a little and then he heads to the car and they head off.  “So then, where are you going today, Markus?”  After a few seconds, Markus looks to Denzel and nods.  “To Angelica’s house, I need to see my daughter.”  Denzel nods and Joshua immediately presses on the gas and they head off towards the neighborhood, the morning sun warmly soaking them with its rays.

 

  Katrina looks at Markus and she smiles and then she touches his hand, and then he fixes his gaze upon her and they both hold each other’s gaze, as if time suddenly stopped completely, and only they were in this surreal moment.  Markus looks into her eyes, and he feels his heart pounding, and Michaela bites her lip in an innocent way, and then Markus quickly regains himself and looks away, and he notices that he’s still blushing.  Katrina stays silent and smiles, for she’s more than satisfied with how things are going between them now.  Markus doesn’t know if he should or shouldn’t make a move on her.  He just can’t seem to make up his mind about it, but Katrina seems all the more eager to wait for him to make a decision.  Markus shakes his head and smiles and then look out the window and notices that they’ve arrived to Angelica’s house.

 

  The instant that Markus gets out of the car, Michaela storms out of the house and into his arms, smiling and giggling and poking his cheeks.  “Yay daddy, you came back!”  Markus smiled.  “Of course I came back, you know that I wouldn’t leave you.  Have you been a good girl?”  She smiles and nods, and then she kisses his cheek and then walks to the porch.  “I’m gonna look for grandma, stay right there!”  Markus nods and waves.  “Of course dear, I’ll be here.”  Michaela smiles and heads inside the house, and then Markus notices that Denzel, Joshua and Katrina look at him with smiles on their faces.  “Aw, your one heck of a daddy, aren’t you?” says Denzel.  “It’s so sweet how you two communicate so easily with each other!” Joshua says in a cheerful tone.  Markus blushes and then he rolls his eyes and smiles.  “Oh, stop it you guys, don’t get all sentimental, this isn’t a soap opera.”  They all quickly burst into laughter, and they enjoy the moment.

 

 

  A few seconds later, Angelica comes out of the house and she warmly greets the others and treats them to some pie, and they talk for endless hours about recent events, and about Markus’ well being, all the while Markus and Michaela play with some action figures while the others keep on in conversation.  “So daddy, are you okay?” Markus looks at Michaela curiously.  “Of course I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?”  Michaela plays with her Optimus Prime action figure and then she stops and looks at him.  “Silly daddy, I can notice in your eyes that something’s bugging you!  Come on, you can tell me what’s wrong, I’ll help you feel better!”

 

(Start Song Here.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWd3xjQy-V4

  For a few seconds, Markus feels shocked that his five year old daughter knows that something is troubling him, and he finds it even more shocking that she’s offering her help to cheer him up.  He smiles, and to make her daughter feel free of worries, he decides to tell her what’s wrong.  “Okay, so here’s the thing. Before you were born, daddy was a very silly man and he was a bully and he didn’t get along with others.  The only people he got a long with were with Mr. Craig and with your mommy.  So, I used to be a boxer, and in one of my big fights, I fought a man and took his place as contender for the championship.  Daddy was a bad sport, and he didn’t respect the man called Raven.”

 

  “And so a long time passed, and now that man has turned into a bad man, and he wants to fight daddy for payback for what happened so many years ago.  And daddy’s now nervous because he doesn’t know how he’ll handle this kind of situation.”  Michaela tilts her head and pats his shoulder.  “Well daddy, the first thing you gotta do is have courage and practice your punches!  You have to make sure that your ready to take on the meanie so that he doesn’t bother you anymore.  And as for your nervousness, you just have to relax and remember that you have a strong point.”  Markus raises his eyebrow.  “A strong point?  What would that be?”  Michaela nods and claps her hands.  “Your family and your friends!”

 

  The moment she says this, Markus feels a chill down his spine.  His beloved daughter mentions these words and he immediately feels tears form in his eyes.  “Michaela, t-that’s very true.  Your absolutely right!  You and Angelica, and Denzel and Joshua, and Katrina, all of you are my strength!”  Michaela nods happily and giggles.  “See?  There you go daddy!  Now your not that nervous anymore!  Now you have more confidence in yourself!  As long as you have all of us, you’ll always be strong, and you’ll always have a reason to fight!  Hehe, even Optimus Prime would say so!”  Markus laughs and he hugs Michaela tightly and cries softly.  “Thank you so much Michaela.  Thank you for your words.  You made me feel so much better.”  Michaela sticks her tongue out and punches Markus’ arm gently.  “Hehe, your welcome daddy, now stop crying and man up!” 

(End Song Here.)

 

  Markus smiles and wipes off his tears, and for a moment he stands and thinks about Michaela, of how strong and brave she is at such a young age.  “You have your mother’s fiery spirit.” he thinks to himself and he smiles and he takes Michaela’s hand and they both head towards Angelica and the others and they sit down on the floor and spend the rest of the afternoon, talking and laughing and spending time together, and before anyone notices, it’s already nightfall, and Angelica stands up and smiles.  “Well, if you all want to stay here, your more than welcome to.”  Denzel smiles and stands up along with Joshua.  “Thanks for the hospitality ma’am, but I have to be getting home to my sweetheart, Mika.  It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, and I want go to her.”  Angelica smiles.  “Okay then.”  They make their farewells, but Katrina hesitates, looking back to Angelica’s house, and Denzel smiles and hugs her sister.  “Stay here.  I know your safe with Markus, so you can stay.”  Katrina nods and smiles.  “Thank you so much Denzel!”  Denzel nods and Katrina runs towards Angelica’s house, and Denzel watches as she goes inside.  “Well, she’s all grown up isn’t she?” Joshua says, patting Denzel’s shoulder.  “Yeah, true that.” Denzel says with a comforting sigh.  And with that, they take their leave.

 

  Markus tucks Michaela into her bed and Angelica heads upstairs to sleep, and then he heads down to the living room and  sits down on the couch and turns on the TV on the anime network, and he sits on the couch, feeling relaxed and calm.  Then he notices that Katrina walks to the living room, and she blushes and heads towards him and sits beside him.  Markus smiles.  “So, you decided to stay?”  Katrina nods.  “I wanted to stay here.  I wanted to take up Angelica’s offer of hospitality.  And…because I want to be with you.”  Markus holds her gaze and touches her face and he leans slowly towards her, and he can feel her gentle breathing and her soft moans, and he looks deep into her eyes.

 

  “Katrina…I don’t want to be a disappointment to you.  I don’t want to let you down, or anyone down.  I already did fatal mistakes once, I don’t want to repeat them again.”  He closes his eyes and leans his head down, and Katrina touches his face with both of her hands and he opens his eyes and looks at her.  “Markus, your not a disappointment.  Everything that you’ve done has been for the sake of your loved ones, and that’s not a disappointment in my book.  You’re my hero.”  Markus blushes and whispers.  “A hero?”  She whispers and rubs his chest.  “Yes, my hero.”  And with that, they both wrap their arms around each other and they kiss each other with loving and tender passion, and they give in to the love they had held back for so long.

---------------------

 

Feelings of love and confidence, of renewed resolve and of unshakable purpose.  Now Markus is prepared to face anything that comes at him, and he will need his renewed strength in the battle to come.  Next time, Chapter Twenty Three: “Answering The Challenge.”

Great chapter. Michaela's so adorable. And I love Markus and Katrina, they're gonna make such a good couple.

Chapter Twenty Three: Answering The Challenge

 

  The next day, Markus wakes up and notices that Katrina is soundly asleep by his side, and he smiles and cuddles with her, feeling her warm body against his.  She smiles and turns around to face him and kisses his neck and she blushes.  “That was a wonderful night, wasn’t it?”  Markus nods and touches her face and runs his fingers through her hair.  “Yes, it was a wonderful night indeed.”  They smile and kiss each other tenderly and passionately, as if nothing else in the world would ruin this perfect moment.  After a few minutes, Markus stands up and puts on his clothes and then he heads for the door and looks back to Katrina.  “I’ll be back in a few hours.  I’ve got to make my presence known.  It’s time for me to answer Raven’s challenge.”  With that, he leaves and Katrina slowly closes her eyes, wishing nothing but the best for him. “Good luck, my dear Markus.”  And with that, she falls asleep again.

 

  Before he heads outside, Michaela runs towards him, and she hugs him and pats him on the head.  “Good luck daddy, show the mean bad guy who’s the boss!”  Markus nods and kisses her forehead and raises his fist in determination.  “Don’t worry, I will.”  He then looks up and sees Angelica on the front porch waving goodbye.  Markus waves back and he looks at Michaela.  “I love you.  Very, very much.”  Michaela smiles and giggles.  “I love you too daddy!”  And with that, she heads over to Angelica and Markus starts walking, ready to accept Raven’s challenge.  He heads downtown and immediately people start to recognize him, and before he knows it, fans and news reporters follow him like if he was a commander and they his army.  He then heads to the town square and he draws a deep breath, and he feels the rising emotion of courage inside him.  Courage he will need when the time comes.

 

(Start Song Here.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b674L7oMkRo

  One of the reporters ask: “Markus, after a three year absence from boxing, are you ready to fight against Raven Sable?  Do you think you have what it takes to beat him?”  Markus ponders this for a few moments and then he looks at the reporter and says: “Yes.  I know I can beat him.  I know I can put him in his place, and we’ll settle things once and for all.”  Another reporter asks: “Mr. Dominic, Raven Sable never told us a specific date for the match…does that mean that you’ll be the one to declare the date of said match?”  Markus nods and answers: “Three weeks from now.  That’s when our match will be.  We’ll settle this in three weeks, on May 31^st.”  Immediately the crowd starts buzzing and ooh’s and aah’s can be heard from the nearby fans.

 

  A younger looking reporter, no doubt a rookie, stands nearby Markus and excitedly says: “Markus, I have personally been a fan of yours ever since you started boxing, and this unexpected return is going to make headlines!  Is there anything that you would want to say to Raven Sable now?  Anything at all?”  Markus thinks for a long time, and the crowd eagerly awaits him to answer, and he can feel the expectation and excitement that everyone has, and he lifts his head up, looking into the eyes of a few of his fan and a few of the news reporters, and then he looks up to the sky and thinks of Keera and Mr. Craig, and he smiles and then a fiery face of determination reflects on his face, and then he takes the microphone from the young reporter and he looks directly to one of the cameras, to make sure that Raven gets a good look at a new, resolved Markus Dominic.

 

  “Raven Sable, you’ve challenged me to a match, a match that holds personal meaning to us.  We both got under each other’s skin, and now we have to settle things in the ring.  There wouldn’t have been a need for this if we would have just simply talked things out.  But now I understand that this isn’t about talking or fighting.  It’s the time to show each other what we’re made of, and to prove something to ourselves.  Don’t forget this Raven, you’ll regret ever crossing me and my family, and for that you’ll see your defeat in the ring on May 31^st.  On that day…I’ll unleash hell on you.”  With that, the crowd roars of approval as Markus walks away with bewildered determination, now setting his sights on one thing and one thing only: winning this fight to ensure his family’s safety. 

(End Song Here.)

 

             He walks down the streets and then he spots George Smith and Nick Brandon at Starbucks, and so he decides to head inside, and everyone in Starbucks cheers with excitement for him.  Nick opens his eyes wide and stands up and goes to hug Markus.  “As I live and breathe, so the rumors were true, you did come back!  George, can you believe this!?”  George goes to hug Markus as well and he rubs his eyes.  “This must be some kind of illusion, Markus, you’re here!”  Markus smiles and nods: “Listen, I want to thank you two.  Angelica told me that you guys had visited me when I was in the hospital, and for that, I give you my deepest thanks.”

 

  Nick and George nod in unison and they shake Markus’ hand.  “It’s good to have you back, it truly is.” says George.  Nick then crosses his arms with a curious look on his face.  “So Markus, is it true that Raven Sable challenged you to a match?”  Markus nods.  “That’s right.  He’s out to settle a personal vendetta with me, and I’m going to welcome him to it.  I’m not going to hide anymore.  I’m going to face him, and I’ll protect my family, and keep them safe.”  George smiled.  “Words truly well spoken my friend, you can count on me and Nick to be the broadcasters of your match.  Say, do you think that when you fight this match, you’ll officially come back to boxing?”  At that, Markus stays silent for a few seconds, and he ponders George’s question.  With all this, he could regain his boxing career and have another go at the championship.  But he nods in disapproval and he puts his hand on George’s shoulder.  “No my old friend, this will be a one-time thing.  I have a new life, and this match is to fight for this new life I’ve been given.”

 

  Nick smiles and nods.  “That is truly admirable.  Then we wish you the best of luck, and I hope that everything goes well.  And be careful when you fight Raven.”  Markus goes to the door and waves goodbye at them.  “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful, you can count on it.”  With that, he goes outside and the crowd is still following him, and he keeps on walking, and after he crosses the street, everyone goes their separate ways, talking and hyping up over the match that Markus and Raven will have.  He then looks up to the sky and smiles as he feels the sun’s rays bathe his face.  He thinks to himself: “This is my chance for redemption.  Everything that’s happened has been leading to this.  But for me to stand a chance against Raven, I have to get in shape again, and that will require for me to have a decent workout program for these three weeks.  I have to train myself physically and mentally.  I need to be prepared to face Raven, I just need to!”  With that, he heads towards Angelica’s house, when suddenly he notices an old man following him.

 

  At first he dismisses any thoughts of the old man, but as he keeps walking, he notices that the old man is still following him.  After a few minutes, Markus turns around to face the old man and he notices that he has a hood covering his face.  “Excuse me old man, but why are you following me?”  The old man chuckles, as if he’d heard a funny joke.  “Well, isn’t it obvious boy?  I’m going to train you!”  At that, Markus freezes and then he shakes his head.  “Train me?  Wait, how do you know that I even need training?  Who are you?”  The old man walks in front of him and waves his hand dismissively.  “Who I am is an interesting question.  But more importantly, who are you?”  Markus starts to say something but then stays silent.  “I am a new man.”  The old man laughs.  “Ha, new man he says.  Well boy, if you plan on going all out on Raven, you’ll need more then optimism and determination to beat him.  So for that I’ll be training you, but not yet.”  Markus looks at the old man and feels puzzled.  Was he one of the people in the crowd?  All this questionable looking business seemed strange to Markus, but for some reason, he couldn’t help but feel that he trusts in the old man.

 

  “Now then, come with me.  Before we even begin your training, we’re going to get ourselves a good, good dinner to eat.  Come on, I know an excellent place where there’s foods of all types, Chinese, Italian, Porto Rican, you name it!”  the old man says enthusiastically. Markus looks at him and feels even more puzzled, but he decides to let this be for now.  What all this could mean is something that he doesn’t know for sure.  At least not for the time being, but all Markus can do now is trust this old man who he met just now, and hope that this “training” pays off.

-----------------------

 

And so, it is all set.  Now the pieces are falling in place, and in three weeks time, Markus will decide his fate, in front of millions around the world.  And who is this old man who suddenly popped out of nowhere?  Will he truly train Markus?  Find out in Chapter Twenty Four: “A Strange Circumstance.”

Great chapter. Who's the old man, and how much training experience does he have?

Chapter Twenty Four: A Strange Circumstance

 

  Markus follows the old man through the street, and as they go to whatever place it is they’re going to eat, the old man constantly talks about the government and their conspiracies and about the high prices of foods and clothes and such.  Markus doesn’t mind, he actually finds the old man’s topic enjoyable to listen to, and before he knows it, they’re already at their destination.  “Ah, here we are, the Food Maniac restaurant, ha, and the name suits it perfectly well!” the old man says.  Markus roll his eyes and smiles and they head inside, and the minute they go in, the customers and employees greet the old man, and some of the customers recognize Markus and ask him for his autograph.  An employee then goes over to the old man and says: “So, what’ll it be chief, the usual?”  The old man nods and smiles.  “Oh yes, and give me a special order for my friend here, I’ll pay for it all myself.”  The employee nods and gets to work and Markus sits down beside the old man.  “Wow, it seems that your pretty popular here, aren’t you?”  The old man shrugs.  “Ah, well, I’m a regular, so people greet me whether they like to or not, ha!” he says as he laughs, and then Markus smells the delicious food being cooked by the chefs in the back.

 

  “So, um, old man, how did you find me?” Markus asks.  The old man turns around to face him and looks at him for a few seconds.  “Well you see boy, I’m a fan of boxing myself, and I saw your boxing debut and I saw all your other matches, and I decided, heck, if anyone’s going to give him a good tidbit or two about fighting, it’ll be from me!”  Markus nods.  “So, you were a boxer too?”  The old man lays back on his chair.  “Nope, never boxed in my life.”  With that, Markus looks at the old man and feels puzzled yet again.  “But, if you don’t know about boxing, then how will you train me?”  The old man laughs.  “Who said I’d teach you to box?  I’m going to teach you to fight, and believe me, boxing and fighting are two different things.  Anyways, you think what you want, but trust me when I say that you won’t regret having me as your trainer.”

 

  Markus looks at the old man and crosses his arms.  “Okay, I’ll take your word for it, but first, I want to know your name.”  The old man looks at him and smirks.  “You can call me Quincy.  And before you ask, no, I won’t take off the hood, it’s my trademark, therefore, you won’t have the privilege of looking at my manly face.”  Markus laughs and rolls his eyes.  “Okay, okay, fair enough Quincy.”  After a few seconds, the employee comes and brings them their food.  Markus receives a steaming hot plate of White Rice with Corned Beef and Fried Plantains.  Quincy receives some Meat Loaf with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, and they both dig in.  Quincy then raises his glass of water and Markus raises his.  “A toast, to our new partnership!” he says.  “Cheers!”  Markus says, and then they keep eating their food, and Markus is surprised and impressed by the quality taste of the food.  It’s probably the most delicious food he’s ever eaten anywhere, and he asks for a second serving while Quincy asks for a few dozen servings, and as the hours pass by, they talk about the current state of events, and of simple and non important things and about life and other topics.  Markus finds Quincy’s company even more enjoyable, and at that instant, he remembers the conversations he and Mr. Craig would have, and the bond they shared.  He smiled as he remembered this, and so he kept conversing with Quincy.

 

  After they finished their meal, Quincy laid back on his chair and stretched out his arms and made a prideful gesture.  “See?  Didn’t I tell you that the food here was excellent?”  Markus nods in approval and he lays back on his chair.  “Your right old man, the food here was indeed delicious.”  Quincy chuckled to himself and then he placed his hands on the table and suddenly changed from a cheerful mood to a more serious mood.  “All right boy, now let’s get down to business.  You’ve been out quite a while, so your fighting skills are rusty, am I correct?”  Markus nods silently, urging him to continue.  “Hmm, all right then, so the training I’ll give you will be both for the body and the soul.  For if you don’t have one or the other, your just a train wreck of disaster!”  Markus smiles and laughs.  “Well thanks for the info sunshine!”  Quincy let out a mischievous chuckle, but then he shook his head and again turned serious.  “But seriously though, since you’ll be training with me, you’ll have to go a few days without seeing your family.”  Markus nods and enters deep in thought.  “I see.  Can I at least say goodbye to them before we go?”  Quincy burps and then he punches the table softly.  “Well of course boy, it would be rude to leave your loved ones worrying!”

 

  “Thank you Quincy.  So, you said that the training you’ll give me is for the body and soul.  How difficult is this training exactly?”  Markus asks.  Quincy coughs a little as if to make a point and then he wipes his mouth with his handkerchief and then he makes hand gestures at Markus.  “Let’s just say that it isn’t for the faint of heart, so I hope you don’t turn out to be a sissy on me.”  Markus breathes in and out and then his eyes take on a fiery and determined glow.  “Don’t worry, I’ll take on whatever you have for me!”  Quincy smiles and pats Markus’ shoulder.  “You know, I like you kid.  You’ve got spunk.  Now come on, let’s get out of here.”  With that, Quincy leaves the money for the food on the table and he and Markus head out and go towards Angelica’s house.  On the way, Quincy stays silent, and Markus wonders just what this man’s intentions are, and why help him, of all people?  There must be more to this man than Markus thinks, but after having had dinner with him, it’s hard to tell if he’s a bad person, but his personality and carefree ways indicate otherwise.  Markus then shakes his head and dismisses his thoughts as he approaches Angelica’s house.

 

(Start Song Here)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mN9ch4OmxI

  “So then, can we leave tomorrow?” Markus asks, and Quincy shrugs.  “Sure, get some rest, and tomorrow we set out, for your training will begin!”  Markus looks at Angelica’s house and then when he looks back, Quincy is no longer behind him.  “Wow.  For an old man, he sure is good at vanishing in thin air like that.” A few seconds later and Katrina spots him and she runs towards him, smiling and hugging him, and then they kiss each other lovingly and then she pulls away. “I saw the news.  You were amazing.”  Markus blushes and shrugs.  “Well, after a bit of training, let’s just see how amazing I’ll be in the ring.  You know, funny story, I met this old man named Quincy today, and he was with me right now.”  Katrina looks at him puzzled.  “But you came here alone.”  Markus starts to say something but stops and he kisses Katrina.  “Never mind, I’ll explain in a bit.”  With that, they head inside and Angelica welcomes him warmly and they sit down in the living room, and Markus looks around and sees that Michaela’s not here.  “Is she asleep?” he asks, and Angelica nods.  “Yes, she was playing with the neighborhood kids today, so she was awfully tired by noon and she fell asleep about an hour ago.”  Markus nods.  “Okay.  Look, I need to tell you both something important.” 

 

  Markus starts explaining everything that happened since he accepted Raven’s challenge, and he didn’t fail to include every single detail of his encounter with Quincy.  They listened to every single aspect of every single detail that he described, and after a while, he finished his explanation, and Katrina stood up and clasped her hands together. “Markus, I know that this will be for the best, so we’ll be praying for you, and we’ll wish you the best of luck.”  Angelica also stands up and she nods.  “That’s right.  We’ll be rooting for you.  And we’ll take care of Michaela, you can count on us.”  Markus smiles and hugs them both.  “Thanks you two.  Thank you so much for supporting me.  You’ll see, in just three weeks, Raven will be out of our lives for good, and our family can live in peace.  You’ll see.”  He smiles and then bids them good night and goes to take a shower, and after that he goes to bed, while Katrina sleeps peacefully beside him.  He looks up to the ceiling and he looks at his hand and then he wonders of how strange it was that Katrina didn’t see Quincy.  In fact, Markus himself noticed that Quincy had practically appeared out of nowhere when they met, and when they went to Angelica’s house he disappeared as if he was never there.  It all puzzled him, but he paid it no mind and he found himself slowly drifting into sleep.

 

  As Markus slowly falls asleep, he leans into Katrina and cuddles onto her, and he smiles and smells her hair and gently strokes her cheek, and he stays silent for a while as he watches her smile in her sleep.  “I’ve made a new life for myself, and now I have more than one reason to fight.  Michaela, Angelica, Denzel, Joshua and Katrina.  My dear and beautiful Katrina.” he thinks to himself, and he kisses her forehead and then his eyes close shut completely, and he lets the comforting silence of sleep take over him, as he finds himself feeling peaceful and calm and serene.  He smiles in his sleep, confident that things will turn out for the best.

(End Song Here)

-------------------

 

Now, Markus shall undergo training by the mysterious Quincy, and so Markus’ preparation for his match with Raven begins in earnest.  What trials will Markus have to go through?  Stay tuned for Chapter Twenty Five: “Phase One: Finding Your Strength.”

Quincey's looking a little suspicious. How can he pop in and out of thin air like that? What's his story?

Quincey's looking a little suspicious. How can he pop in and out of thin air like that? What's his story?

Oh, you'll find out soon enough.

 

Chapter Twenty Five: Phase One: Finding Your Strength

 

  The next day, Markus wakes up early and kisses Katrina’s forehead as she sleeps peacefully, and then he goes to Michaela’s room and sees her cuddling with her teddy bear, and he smiles and touches her face and kisses her cheek and then goes out of the room and heads downstairs.  From the looks of it, no one in the house has woken up yet, since Angelica isn’t in the kitchen.  Markus thinks it’s better this way, so that there doesn’t have to be teary goodbyes.  Just when he’s about to prepare himself some breakfast, he almost screams when he sees Quincy sitting on a chair in the dining room.  Quincy looks at him with a puzzled look and then he raises his arms.  “What, it’s just me!  You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”  Markus starts saying something but prefers to stay shut, and then he proceeds to prepare himself a ham and cheese sandwich, and he offers some to Quincy, but Quincy simply urges him to eat, and after Markus finishes eating and washing his dish, they go outside and start heading deep into the countryside.

 

  “So, what kind of training is this, exactly?” Markus says as he looks around and notices that they’re heading deeper into the heart of nature.  Quincy laughs to himself and then turns around to face Markus and he pats him on the shoulder.  “Here’s phase one, find your strength.”  Markus asks: “And how do I do that?”  Quincy smirks.  “Simple, I just do this to you!” And with that, Quincy pushes Markus over a ledge, and Markus desperately tries not to get himself killed as he tumbles a few considerable feet and he keeps his eyes peeled for anything to grab onto.  He sees a short slab of rock coming out of the cliff, and he grabs onto it, but his grip slips and he tumbles down until he finally lands on the ground painfully, and he feels as though his back was broken to a million pieces.  After a few seconds, Markus stands up in rage, trying to stay on his feet, and then he screams out.  “Are you insane you old coot!?  I could’ve gotten killed!”  Markus waits for a response, but Quincy doesn’t answer, and so Markus makes his way through the forest, trying to see if he can make his way back to the top of the cliff.  He then falls to the ground, feeling weak, and then he thinks to himself: “What freaking kind of strength will I find, battered and bruised like this?”

 

  He keeps walking until he spots a stone stairway leading to the upper side of the mountain, probably to where he fell from, but he sees a few boulders blocking the way.  He then walks towards the boulders and he starts to push them, but they don’t budge, and so he puts his back into it, but his results don’t amount up to anything, and with that, Markus starts getting angry.  He tries pushing the boulders again, but it’s as if his strength was drained away by the fall, and so he angrily punches the boulder, and he bleeds from his knuckles, and then he sits down on the ground, feeling weak and worthless.  Then he remembers Quincy’s words.  “Phase one, find your strength.”  Markus thinks for a while, wondering what Quincy could have meant by that.  It obviously wasn’t brute strength, because right now that wasn’t proving to be an effective strategy for him.  He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath and then he stands up and starts pushing the boulders again, but he fails and instead the sharp edges of one of the boulders cuts Markus’ hands, and he grunts in pain and retreats again, and he kicks the ground in frustration, but then he draws a deep breath and stays calm, and he once again focuses his thoughts.  “Finding my strength…finding my strength.”

 

(Start Song Here)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lhkPSE_OY0

  For the next few hours, Markus tries over and over again, getting bruised up each consecutive time he tries to make the boulders budge, and before he knows it, he’s already badly bruised, as if some thugs had ganged up on him and beaten him up.  For an instant, Markus felt like that, beat up and unable to do anything.  But then he remembered Mr. Craig teaching him about battling a tough opponent.  “The one thing you have to remember Markus, is that no opponent is impossible to defeat, all that you need to do is use your opponent’s strength as your own, and then you’ll be able to obtain victory.”  Markus opens his eyes and then he stands up, ready to give it one more go on the boulders.  He starts pushing at them with all his might, feeling his strength fade away every second he keeps on pushing, but then he takes a deep and determined breath and he starts pushing harder, feeling as if his strength is returning, and then he sees one of the smaller boulders roll away from the stairway and down towards the river.  Markus smiles and he feels the drops of sweat dripping down his face, and then he keeps on pushing.

 

  Meanwhile, Quincy watches Markus pushing the boulders away, and he smiles as he sees the determination he has to overcome this obstacle.  “Ha, the boy has more heart than I thought he would have.  Come on boy, you can do it, just push a little harder!”  And, as if Markus had heard him, he heard his grunts of determination as he pushed harder, making a few more of the boulders fall to the river, and Quincy clapped his hands, smiling and feeling proud that his training is already taking effect.  “Ha, now this is better than any workout program out there.  Ha, I should have been a fitness teacher, a hell of a teacher I would have made.” Quincy says to himself laughing, as he continues to watch over Markus.  A few more minutes pass, but Markus doesn’t give up.  He continues pushing with all his might, feeling his bones harden and twist like if they were about to break, and he backed off for a moment to catch his breath, and then he started pushing again, with determined and newfound strength, and he keeps pushing, and the boulders fall to the river, and only one big one remains.  Markus smirks and he cracks his knuckles and his neck, and then he draws a few deep breathes, and then he approaches the final giant boulder.

 

  Then, with all the power and might he can muster, Markus pushes the boulder, his hands bleeding out from the cuts he suffered earlier, and he grunts in pain but stands his ground, refusing to give up.  He then screams and manages to push the final boulder out of the way, as it falls to the river with a big splash.  Markus falls to the ground, tired and wiped out, but then he starts to laugh, realizing that he did a seemingly impossible feat.  After a few minutes, he stands up and walks up the stone stairway until he reaches a clearing, where Quincy is sitting on a tree stump, smiling.  “So then Markus, did you find your inner connection with nature?”  Markus smiled and rolled his eyes.  “Oh, yeah, I found my inner connection all right.  You know, your training is pretty effective.  And I finally know what you meant by finding my strength.”  Quincy raises an eyebrow.  “Ah, is that so?  Then tell me what you think it means.”  Markus smiled.  “What you meant by finding my strength is strength of heart.  The strength of heart that allows me to overcome an obstacle, but I can only do it when I put all my heart into it.”  Quincy laughs a satisfied laugh, and he pats Markus’ shoulder and smiles.  “That’s it boy.  Perhaps your not such a dumbass as I thought you’d be.” 

(End Song Here)

 

  Markus then exclaims.  “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!?”  Quincy laughs and lies on his back.  “Oh, don’t worry kiddo, I was just messing with you.  Now rest up, because the next phase of your training will begin soon.”  Markus nods and then he thinks to himself.  “I wonder what this old man has in store for me?  Because the boulders were more than enough of a challenge.”  He thinks about it for a while but then he brushes off his thoughts and he drinks a bottle of water he had in his backpack and he ate a snack, while Quincy was picking some apples from under a tree.  He then sits down beside Markus and starts eating the apples and then he offers Markus one, and Markus accepts it and eats it.  “So tell me Quincy, how long have you been doing this?  Training other people I mean.”  Quincy yawns and looks at the sky.  “Well, it hasn’t been much.  I’ve only trained two other people before you.”  Markus looks at him curiously.  “And how did it turn out for them?”

 

  Quincy eats an apple and talks with his mouth full.  “Oh, the training was too much for them and they couldn’t handle it and they died.”  Markus opens his eyes wide and then he looks at Quincy for a long while.  “And you didn’t help them?  You didn’t do anything to prevent their deaths?” Quincy nods. “Nope, for you see, I’m only a spectator, and I watch your progress.  I give you the training, but I don’t interfere with it.”  Markus looks up to the sky and then he finishes eating his apple.  “I see.  And do you think I’ll die too?”  Quincy looks at Markus and then stands up.  “Well, that’s something we’ve yet to see kid.  That’s why I’m testing you, to see if you have what it takes to go the extra mile.  Oh, right now you think I’m a crazy old coot, but trust me when I say that you’ll thank me for all this insanity, well, that is, if you make it out alive.”  Markus smirks and cracks his knuckles.  “Ha, I’ll take your challenge old man, you’ll see, I’ll make it out of this for sure!

------------------

 

Markus’ first step has been completed, but other steps of the training are still underway.  What else does Quincy have in store for him?  He can only guess what other insane things will happen.  Next time, Chapter Twenty Six: “Phase Two, Refining Speed.”

Jeez, if pushing giant boulders was Quincey's idea for phase one, I'm kinda scared of what phase two will be.

Jeez, if pushing giant boulders was Quincey's idea for phase one, I'm kinda scared of what phase two will be.

Oh don't worry...the worst is over...I think...teehee.

 

Chapter Twenty Six: Phase Two, Refining Speed

 

  After a few considerable minutes, Quincy looks at Markus sharply and then smiles.  Markus wonders what Quincy is smiling about, but then reminding himself that this old man is prone to mischief, he can guess that nothing good can come from that smile.  All of a sudden he hears a distant noise, as if something had been broken, and then when he looks back, Quincy is gone.  “Hey, over here boy!” Quincy shouts out, and when Markus looks up, he sees Quincy on top of a dam and he smiles and then starts breaking the dam and says: “Here’s phase two of your training.  Refining your speed!  Since you’ve been quite a while off the ring, speed is key in a match.  So, in order for you to regain your speed, you’re going to be running against the river.”  Markus opens his eyes wide and raises his fists in the air.  “Are you insane old man!?  I could drown!”  Quincy laughs.  “Then you’d better be ready to sleep with the fishes!”  And with that, Quincy breaks the dam, and a giant wave of water comes at Markus, and he immediately starts making a run for it.

 

(Start Song Here)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gbciyC2hHU

  “This old man is insane!  He’s going to get me killed!  No, I can do this.  I know I can!” he says to himself and he picks up the pace faster as he feels drips of water on him, and when he looks back, he sees the giant wave of water crashing through the trees and rocks, taking anything in its path with it.  Markus desperately runs, relying on nothing but the pure adrenaline rush that keeps him going.  Otherwise, he’d be long gone by now.  He looks around for any sign of Quincy, and then he notices that he’s at the bottom of the hill that Markus is currently on, and Markus looks at him, dazzled by the old man’s unnatural speed to go anywhere.  All of a sudden, Markus trips and he scrapes his knee, and he grunts in pain but then ignores the pain and stands up and continues running, and as he runs he notices that the hill gets increasingly steeper.  A little more steep, and Markus might just end up tumbling down the hillside.  He feels the adrenaline rushing through his veins, feeling his life increasing and decreasing at the same time, and as he hears the sickening cracks of the trees being ripped off by the strength of the water’s current, Markus picks up speed and runs faster, and he breathes heavily as he starts to lose his momentum.

 

  His speed starting to fade away, Markus desperately tries to find some kind of opening so he can endure the water current that currently threatens to claim his life.  Then he notices a small cave on his far right side, and he quickly darts towards it and then he enters the cave, as he sees the water passing through, making the valley more into a giant waterfall.  Markus catches his breath and then relaxes for a moment, the danger of drowning now taken care of.  As he turns his head towards the cave, he sees that there’s a path, a passage.  “It might lead me to the base of the hill, where Quincy is.” he thinks to himself, and with that in mind, he walks down the path slowly, relying on nothing but the sunshine that makes its way through the cracks in the walls of the cave, and he makes sure that there aren’t any surprises ahead for him, and he keeps on his cautious trek down the hill, and as he climbs down, he feels fresh air from the far horizon, which leads him into guessing that he’s almost near the exit of the cave.  He keeps on walking, again thinking of what madness compels Quincy, what sort of determination drives that old man to do the things that he does.  He shakes his head and decides to leave that question unanswered for now.

 

  A few minutes pass, and Markus finally makes his way outside of the cave, and he sighs of relief, but then he finds that it’s impossible to go down the hill, since it’s flooded with water.  He knows how to swim, but the current is too fast and it might lead to a fatal accident reaching the bottom of the hill.  He ponders what to do, and then he looks to his left and sees a stone path that jerks out of the water, and he sees that it leads down the hill, and then he snaps his fingers and smiles.  He heads towards the stone path, carefully crossing through the newly made river, and then he arrives to the stone path, and then he takes a deep breath and starts to carefully walk on each of the stones, making sure not to slip, and then he thinks to himself: “When Quincy comes to me, I’m going to kill him!  I mean seriously, this old coot has some insane ways to train people!”  He laughs to himself a bit and then he nods and carefully walks down the stone steps, and then he sees dry land below him, only a few feet down, and he decides to make a jump for it, and he lands in a nice pile of leaves, no doubt courtesy of Quincy.  He smiles and stands up, feeling relieved that he made it through that harrowing ordeal.

(End Song Here)

 

  Quincy goes towards him and claps of approval, nodding cheerfully and eating some apples he had in a basket.  “Well Markus, I’ve never seen anyone running that fast since the Road Runner from Looney Tunes, ha ha ha!”  Markus rolls his eyes and steals an apple from Quincy’s basket and laughs.  “Right, very funny old man…pff, you really have strange ways of training people.  I think you do this out of enjoyment, so you see how your trainees scramble for their lives.”  Quincy smiles and pats Markus’ shoulder. “Oh, my boy, you truly are a special one, you are.  It’s not every day I meet someone like you.  You truly are something.  Now I can understand why you were such a successful boxer back then.  You keep surprising me kid.  But anyways, training’s not over yet.  There’s still a thing or two you need to refine before your training is done.”  Markus sighs a little wearily and shrugs.  “Well whoop dee do.  Well old man, whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll be able to survive it, because if I was able to push giant boulders to a river and I was able to outrun a river, I think I can be able to do anything else you plan to throw in my way.  I hope your happy old man.”

 

  Quincy smiles and gives Markus another apple.  “That’s what I like about you, kid.  No matter what the odds, you’re always willing to face them, no matter how big they are, and that there is something I admire from you.  I believe you when you say you’ll do anything I throw at you, because after seeing you go through those other two phases, you’ve proven to me you have what it takes to make it through the whole training.”  Markus nods and then looks to the distance, and then he looks down.  “Quincy, can I ask you something?”  The old man looks at him curiously and sits down beside him.  “What is it boy?  What’s on your mind?”  Markus smiles and looks to the distance again, and then he puts his hands together and he sighs.  “Well, I don’t know how to exactly put this, but um, well, you see, the thing is that lately, I’ve been feeling that everything that’s happened has been for a purpose, that it’s been for something much bigger than myself.  I know I have a new life and that I have a new family, and that I have more than one reason to fight, but the thing is that I still keep thinking of the stupid mistakes I made in the past, the mistakes that cost me the people I loved the most.  Every day I live with that guilt inside me.  Because of my selfishness, I pushed the two people that I cared the most about away from me.  How do I make peace with that?”

 

  A long silence follows, and after a while, Quincy breaks the silence by clearing his throat and then he stands up and looks towards the distance, and then he turns around.  “Well, you see, as you said before, things like this happen for a reason.  We never know why or for what particular purpose these things happen, but the bottom line is that they do happen.  All we can do is live on and accept the things we’ve done and recognize our flaws, and only then can you find peace with yourself.”  Markus thinks about this, and then he looks at Quincy.  “But exactly how do I do this?  How do I make peace with myself?  I already know I have fatal flaws, but I can’t forgive myself for the things I did, and that just, I don’t…I just, don’t know…”  Quincy looks at Markus sympathetically, and he then goes towards him and pats his shoulder. “Don’t worry kiddo, from what I’ve seen, your more than capable of getting to phase ten of your training, which is the most important one of all.”  Markus raises his eyebrow.  “And…what would that be?”  Quincy chuckles.  “Oh, you’ll see my boy.  You’ll see.  Just make sure to survive the other phases of your training, and you’ll see.”

 

  Realizing that the sun is setting, Quincy starts a fire and then places a tent and then he looks at Markus.  “Well, boy, make sure to get a good night’s rest, because tomorrow your training continues, and you’d best be prepared for anything.  Understood?”  Markus nods and smiled and laid back on the grass.  “Understood.”  Quincy looks at him and asks: “You’re not sleeping in the tent?”  Markus nods.  “No, it’s all right.  I want to sleep under the starts tonight.  I’ll be all right.  You make sure to sleep old man, that way you can enjoy whatever torture you plan on giving me.”  Quincy gasps a sarcastic gasp.  “Me, enjoy torturing you?  What kind of sick, twisted thing do you think you say?”  They both stay silent for a moment and then they start laughing for a few minutes, almost to the brink of crying, and they both catch their breath and then Quincy smiles and says good night to Markus and he heads off to sleep.  Markus looks up at the stars, and he feels sleep slowly taking over him, and he thinks of Katrina, Michaela and the others.  “I’ll make it back home everybody, I’ll make it back home.” he thinks to himself, and with that, he falls asleep.

---------------

 

Outrunning a river, Markus has now passed his second phase of training.  What other rigorous training exercises lie in wait for him?  What else will transpire?  Find out in Chapter Twenty Seven: “Phase Three, A Rigorous Climb.”

         

Phase One: Push giant boulders into the river.

Phase Two: Outrun a river

Phase Three: (given from the title preview) climbing a cliff

 

Why do I get the feeling that one of the next phases will have Markus running through a fire to test his durability?

Phase One: Push giant boulders into the river.

Phase Two: Outrun a river

Phase Three: (given from the title preview) climbing a cliff

 

Why do I get the feeling that one of the next phases will have Markus running through a fire to test his durability?

Oh, I don't know.  Anything could happen!

 

Chapter Twenty Seven: Phase Three, A Rigorous Climb

 

  As Markus awakens to the bright rays of the sun, he yawns and slowly sits up.  He rubs his eyes and feels drowsy, and then he looks around to see if Quincy is awake.  Then he notices that Quincy isn’t anywhere to be seen, and then Markus rolls his eyes and smiles.  “Not surprising to me.” he says to himself, and with that, he heads downhill to see if he can find Quincy.  A few minutes pass and then Markus finds a little creek and drinks it’s crystal clear water and then he feels immediately refreshed.  Then he hunts some rabbits so he can eat some for breakfast, and after that, he continues his search for Quincy.  “I wonder where he could have gone?” he says aloud, and then he notices a giant stone pillar embedded in the wall of a considerably high mountain.  He opens his eyes wide, impressed by the size of the pillar, and just when he’s about to turn away, he notices something at the very top, or rather, someone.

 

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Markus says as he opens his jaw.  For as he looks to the very peak of the pillar, he notices Quincy relaxing and stretching his arms, as if nothing was happening, and Markus, baffled by what he’s just seen, calls out to him.  “Hey, old man!  What are you doing up there!?”  Quincy looks down and smiles.  “That’s not the question you should be asking boy!  The question is, why are you down there?” Markus then laughs and opens his arms wide and then he screams.  “Do you really expect me to climb this big ass pillar!?”  Quincy laughs a full hearted, joyful laugh, and then he says, “Oh no my boy, I don’t expect you to climb it, I command you to climb it!  Welcome to phase three, the rigorous climb!  Climb this pillar and make it to the top, and that’s pretty much all you have to do!”  Markus breathes in and out and thinks to himself, “When this is over, I’m going to kill that crazy coot. Seriously, he expects me to climb this!?”  But, unable to refuse, Markus starts climbing the pillar.  He barely starts to climb, and already he slips and falls and scrapes his arms, and he screams in pain.  “Yeah, that’s it, this old man is nothing but an insane coot!” Markus thinks to himself, but then he gathers himself up, takes another deep breath, and he starts to climb the pillar again.

 

(Start Song Here)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np-vWflh7bM

  He feels his body weighing down on him, he can feel his hands getting slippery with each moment that passes, and he can feel the cold touch of death behind him.  He looks down and notices that he’s already at least twenty feet off the ground.  Markus takes a deep breath and then he looks up, where Quincy looks at him with anticipation and excitement.  “How the hell did you make it all the way up there!?” Markus shouts.  Quincy looks at him with a puzzled expression.  “Well, for one, I climbed this here pillar, and that’s all I did.”  Markus stops for a moment and feels admiration for Quincy.  The fact that this old man can climb such a dangerous pillar gnaws at the fact that Markus is being way too paranoid for his own good.  But gathering his resolve, he continues to climb, and with each second that passes, he feels his body getting heavier and his heart beating faster.  He can feel the immense breeze and he can feel the uncertainty of not being able to make the climb.  He gasps for air and suddenly one of his hands slips and he starts falling a few feet, but then, out of instinct, he grabs the nearest jagged rock, and he holds onto it for dear life, and now he realizes he’s climbed over more than forty feet, and he still hasn’t reached halfway.  Markus gasps and breathes in and out, now panicking at his predicament, while Quincy simply keeps looking at him.

 

  Suddenly, he feels a sudden warmth spreading through his body.  At first, he thinks this is just an effect from the feeling of panic that he’s having, but then he realizes that it’s not that.  It’s something completely different.  When he looks to his right, he sees Keera, happily urging him on, with her silent, ghostly expression.  Markus tries to reach out to her, to feel her one more time, but then he almost slips again, and Keera stays put where she is, pointing upwards to where Quincy is, and then he nods and looks upwards, and he notices he still has a considerable amount of distance to climb before he makes it to the top, then he looks to his right again, and Keera smiles and disappears, and with that, Markus feels a sudden tinge of determination and fiery resolve burn within him, and he starts climbing faster, feeling the adrenaline inside him making his heart beat faster, and he keeps on climbing, repeating the same sentence over and over again in his head.  “I’ll come back home, I’ll come back home.” he keeps telling himself, and Quincy looks at him with a surprised expression on his face.

 

  Markus thinks of everything he’s been through, of all the trials and tribulations he’s had to endure, but he also thinks of the good things that have occurred to him during his life, and about all the things that have helped him get back in life.  He smiles as he thinks of his little daughter Michaela, her warm and reassuring smile making his heart feel warm, and then he thinks of Katrina, thinking of her warmth, her kind heart, her unwavering will, and the taste of her lips.  Then he thinks about Denzel, about his crazy attitude and happy go lucky but nonetheless caring nature, and the way he looks out for his sister.  Then he thinks of Joshua, who always struggles to keep Denzel in line and tries to be the mature one of the group.  And then, he thinks of Angelica, grandmother of Michaela and mother of the woman he held dear in the past, and whom would always have a great significance in his heart…Keera.  He feels the warmth and reassurance of his new family, and it keeps him strong with burning resolve, making the climb easier for him, with each passing moment feeling that all his fears are melting away.  Quincy smile and crosses his arms, satisfied with how Markus is progressing, and he takes an apple and eats it while continuing to watch Markus climb the pillar.

 

  “Almost there kiddo, just a few more feet, almost there!” Quincy says with excitement, and then he smiles and claps his hands with joy, as Markus gets nearer and nearer to the top.  Just as Markus is about to grab on to another rock, he slips and falls thirty feet down the pillar, and for a moment, Quincy feels his heart sink, and he looks down, making sure that Markus is all right, and to his shocking surprise, he sees Markus climbing up yet again, as if the fall hadn’t affected him in the slightest.  “This boy has some unnatural spirit and determination.  To think that this boy has been through such tough times, and now he’s growing a fighting spirit inside him.  Now that is something I had never seen before.” Quincy says to himself as he watches Markus continue his climb.  Markus can feel the adrenaline inside him pumping like never before, he can feel the surging feeling of success as he’s about to reach the peak of the pillar, and then, with one considerably high leap, he grabs on to the final ledge and he finally makes his way up the pillar, exhausted, tired, and bleeding from his scraped arms and legs.  Quincy looks at him with a surprised and shocked expression on his face, and he shakes his head.  “Now that was some heavy climbing.” he said to Markus.

(End Song Here)

 

  Markus breathes heavily and then he slowly stands up and holds onto a nearby boulder to help himself get up, and then he looks at Quincy for a few long seconds, and then he rolls his eyes and breathes heavily.  “Old man, I’m going to kill you.”  With that, they both burst into laughter, and they smile and enjoy the simple and silly moment, and then Markus falls on the ground, exhausted.  “I need water.”  Quincy smiles and supplies Markus with a bucket of water and Markus drinks from it nonstop, and Quincy sits down across from where he’s sitting, and he looks up at the sky.  “Nice afternoon, don’t you think?”  Markus smiles and nods as they both see the afternoon sun slowly descending behind the mountains.  They stay silent for a while, and then they eat dinner and then trade stories about past experiences and about simple and nonsensical things.  Quincy stands up and then he stands on the edge of the pillar and he looks back towards Markus and points towards the sun. “You see that?”  Markus nods. “Yes, the sunset.  What about it?”  Quincy smirks.  “Betcha don’t know why the sun sets red.”

 

  “You see, light is made up of many colors, and out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.” he says to Markus as he looks towards the sunset.  Markus then looks at Quincy and says, “Hey, you stole that from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, didn’t you?  How does an old man like you know about that?”  Quincy laughs.  “Haha, just because I’m old doesn’t mean that I don’t know my video games.”  With that, they both burst into laughter again, and then Markus looks towards the sunset and then he turns to face Quincy and then he asks, “Hey Quincy…do you think I’ll be able to make it?  To the end of this training I mean? “  Quincy looks at him for a few long seconds, and then he turns to look at the sunset again, and then he says, “You have the potential to complete this training Markus, I know you have it in you.  When I saw you climbing this here pillar with such determination, it made me remember that human beings to have the willpower to achieve great things.  You are destined for greatness Markus, you just need to keep your eyes open and your wits about you, and you’ll be fine.”  Markus smiles and pats Quincy’s shoulder.  “Thanks old man.”  Quincy returns the friendly gesture and he sits down.  “Anytime kiddo.”

------------------

 

As his training becomes ever more difficult, Markus becomes stronger physically and mentally, and his resolve only burns brighter.  What else will await Markus during the phases of his training?  Stay tuned for Chapter Twenty Eight: “Phase Four, A Bare Knuckle Fight.”

Great chapter. Markus sure has a lot of determination. Was that really Keera's ghost or a hallucination from the adrenaline?

 

And Quincey stole Axel's line about the sunset. Is he going to use any more of Axel's lines?

Great chapter. Markus sure has a lot of determination. Was that really Keera's ghost or a hallucination from the adrenaline?

 

And Quincey stole Axel's line about the sunset. Is he going to use any more of Axel's lines?

Oh, he may say a thing or two.

 

Chapter Twenty Eight: Phase Four, A Bare Knuckle Fight

 

  After a well deserved rest, Markus stands up and goes towards Quincy, who’s oddly quite for some reason.  Markus sits down beside him and looks towards the horizon as the sun rises.  When he looks at Quincy, he notices that the old man has a mischievous smile on his face, and Markus knows that can only mean one thing: trouble.  Before even saying anything, Quincy raises his hand, as if to stop Markus from speaking, and then he stands up and urges Markus to stand up as well.  “All right then boy.  Flex your muscles and stretch your bones, because you are about to enter phase four.”  Not knowing what Quincy meant by that, Markus did as he was told, and after a few minutes, Markus sees Quincy raising his fists in a battle stance.  “Um, what are you doing old man?” Markus says with a puzzled look on his face.  Quincy rolls his eyes and raises his fists again.  “What does it look like, brick for brains!?  I’m putting up my dukes!”

 

  Markus actually laughs and he back down and sits on the ground again.  “Ha, you have got to be kidding me.  Old man, if you’re trying to make me laugh, then your mission is accomplished. Ha ha ha!”  Quincy looks at Markus with an annoyed expression and then he throws a small rock at Markus’ feet.  “What are you laughing about you potato sprout!?”  Markus takes a moment to enjoy himself and then he stands up again and shakes his head in disapproval.  “It’s not going to happen old man.  I don’t fight against aging people.”  Quincy scoffs and rolls his eyes again.  “Is that so?  Well, then if your that sure of yourself, then fight me!”  Markus again laughs.  “I don’t have anything to prove to you in terms of fighting skill, so let’s just skip this part of the training.”  Quincy’s eyes flash in anger.  “Negative!  No phase of the training is to be skipped!  Fight me, or are you too scared of getting a bruise on me!?”  Markus’ expression then turns serious.  “Old man, really, please don’t make me hurt you…” Before even saying another word, Markus is hit by a brutally hard uppercut, and he falls flat to the ground.

 

(Start Song Here)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5DZZVLqxVA

   He takes his time to regain himself and only then does he realize that the small old man before him just delivered a powerhouse uppercut!  That’s something he didn’t expect, given the old man’s age.  Quincy smirks.  “So, you still thinking of hesitating on me?”  Markus stands up and regains himself and smirks.  “All right then, bring it on!”  With that, Markus starts throwing a combination of punches and jabs, and he’s surprised and shocked at how fast and easily Quincy blocks and dodges attacks, and he finds himself receiving attacks instead of delivering attacks.  “Never underestimate your opponent, boy, no matter what age!”  With that, Markus sharply blocks a jab from Quincy then counterattacks with a hook and then a series of fast punches.  Quincy smiles as he blocks Markus’ attacks, cheering him on.  “That’s it you boy, you almost fight as well as a man!”  With that, they both laugh as they continue to deliver a combination of attacks and reprisals against each other, and Markus finds himself adapting to this new type of fighting.  Faster than he could ever have imagined, and with more strategy and quick reflexes involved.  He finds himself following the rhythm of Quincy’s attacks and counterattacks, and slowly, Markus starts to get the hang of fighting against Quincy, and he triumphantly makes an uprising comeback.  “So, what do you think of me now old man?” Markus asks in a taunting gesture.

 

  “Meh, you still need some refining on your skills, boy!” Quincy says as he laughs, enjoying the heated battle with Markus.  The sun slowly continues to rise as both of them keep bashing at each other, not managing to get a single bruise, and then they both deliver a jab right to each other’s faces, and both of them fall to the ground.  Markus rubs his jaw, still feeling backlash from Quincy’s jab, and he spits out blood, and then he looks at Quincy standing up and spitting blood as well.  Quincy smiles and stretches out his hand in a friendly gesture.  “Well, it looks like you beat me today boy.  I have to give you credit, you sure do live up to your reputation as a boxer.  It’s a good thing that you found a coach like me!”  Markus smiles and shakes his hand and chuckles.  “Yeah right, you’re the one that found me.  You just suddenly appeared out of nowhere…say, that’s actually something I’ve been wanting to ask you about…why haven’t you ever taken off that hood?  And where do you come from?”

(End Song Here)

 

  At that, Quincy stays silent for a few mere seconds, but then he reaffirms his composure and shrugs.  “Eh, I don’t remember much, with my age being a key factor in some things slipping away from my mind…let’s just say that I appeared because you needed help.”  Markus looks at Quincy questionably, but then he admits to himself about it, and he silently agrees that he indeed had needed help.  It’s as if his prayers had been answered.  And yet, with each passing moment that Markus spent time with Quincy, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity and comfort.  Something he couldn’t quite put a finger on.  Maybe it was all this training that was getting to his head, but he was convinced that this old man is hiding something.  What it could be, he’s not sure, but as long as it doesn’t interfere with their training, he’s decided to let it slip.  Markus sits down and rubs his jaw continuously and feels impressed by Quincy’s skills.  “Wow old man, you sure did a number on me.  I never expected you to have that kind of skill.  I’m really impressed, and so I give you the tip of my hat in respect.”

 

  Quincy smiles and bows and then he sits down besides Markus and eats another apple.  “Well kiddo, let today’s match have proven a lesson to you. Never underestimate anyone because of age.  Got it memorized?” Quincy says happily, and Markus smirks and pats Quincy’s shoulder.  “Yeah, I got it memorized.  Say, isn’t that also one of Axel’s lines?  Boy, you sure do like quoting Kingdom Hearts quotes.”  Quincy laughs and nods.  “Ah, I just say those quotes when there’s pitch perfect moments for it, like this one.  Anyways kiddo, I’m proud of you for having come this far.  I never thought you’d make it past the first phase, but I’m real surprised you’ve come to phase four.  For that I want to congratulate you.”  Markus nods and he lays back on the ground, looking at the beautiful morning sky and looking at the bright and colorful sun, and he looks to Quincy and exhales.  “Thanks old man.  It means a lot for me that you say that.” With that, they both stay silent for a while, for no words are necessary to enjoy this peaceful moment.  A moment, which Markus thinks, he wants to share with his new family.  He thinks of all the things he could do with his family once he finally defeats Raven Sable and they get a move on to their lives.  He thinks of all the things he could do for Michaela, and of all the places he would go with her and Katrina.  The thought of spending precious time with the people he loves brought a smile of comfort and respite to his face, despite the weariness and the heavy toll the training has taken on him so far.

 

  The hours pass and Markus feels better and more refreshed thanks to the little break Quincy allowed him to take.  Noticing that Quincy wasn’t around, Markus decided to look for him.  He walked along a forest path, and he took his time to admire the scenery and breathe in the scent of fresh air that only the trees could provide.  He kept searching for Quincy, wondering where the old coot might be when, not to his surprise, he found him picking apples from a nearby apple tree.  He smiles and looks up at Quincy and rolls his eyes.  “Wow old man, you know, I’m starting to think your liking to apples borders on obsession.”  Quincy laughs mischievously and he shrugs.  “Oh, kiddo, you see, apples to me are like what alcohol is to the average man.” He smiles and pounces from the tree branch to the ground with the prowess of a cat.  Markus again feels overwhelmed by this old man’s unnatural ability to do things.  He then goes towards Quincy and then he crosses his arms.  “So, what’s phase five?”

 

  And just as suddenly as he had said that, Quincy gleefully started to run away, and Markus found that very puzzling…and very suspicious.  Instantly, Markus’ first reaction was to look around his immediate surroundings, and noticing nothing odd in particular, he couldn’t understand why Quincy ran away like that.  “Maybe he’s just excited he got such a big bunch of apples.” he says to himself.  “Yeah, that’s it.”  He nods and starts walking to Quincy’s location when he suddenly hears a slow and spine tingling creaking noise.  When he looks back, he sees the tree that Quincy was just on falling on him, and Markus quickly dodged the tree.  One more second and he could have been killed!  Markus sighed of relief, and then he started hearing another creaking noise…then another…then another…then another. Markus’ expression quickly changed from surprised to painful, as he realized his new predicament.  “I swear, I know I’ve said this one too many times, but once this is over…I’m going to kill that crazy coot!  I mean seriously, this guy is unpredictable!”

------------------

As Markus keeps mastering the phases of his training, he finds himself getting adapted to his newfound abilities, and now he presses on, hoping to surpass the insane challenges that Quincy constantly topples on him.  What will happen?  Be prepared for Chapter Twenty Nine: “Phase Five, Dodging Is Key!”

Great fight between Markus and Quincey!

 

Pushing giant boulders into the river, outrunning the river, climbing a huge pillar, bare knuckle boxing, and now Markus has to avoid being crushed by falling trees! What kinda training program is this?!

 

And Quincey sure does like quoting Kingdom Hearts.  

Edited October 2, 201312 yr by Keyblade101

Hey there guys, sorry for not posting chapters, but I didn't have time to write any on the weekend, so I'll have to ask for your patience, for it'll take a while to write more chapters.  But don't worry, it won't be an extended period of time.  Thank you for your cooperation! ^_^

Hey there everyone, sorry for the delay, I had a whole week free from college so I wasn't able to post any chapters.  Thank you for waiting, and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter in my story! Don't forget to comment please!

 

Chapter Twenty Nine: Phase Five, Dodging Is Key!

 

  Markus can feel a strong and rushed breeze brushing past his face.  He doesn’t have time to stop and breathe and take in the scenery.  That’s the least he can do right now, he thinks to himself.  He again thinks about how Quincy keeps mounting up insanely ridiculous training sessions like this.  It truly puzzles him, but he has no choice but to act instead of think, as a giant tree topples down and threatens to crush him.  He tries calling out to Quincy, but feels out of breath, but surprisingly the old man seems to be waiting for Markus to catch up, and Markus takes this opportunity to run like a maniac and he makes the most of the situation, making sure not to slip on any rock or any vine or tree root that happens to come into his way.  “I swear, if I survive this, everyone at home will never believe all the things I had to do to get in shape.” Markus says to himself as he smirks and feels more attuned to his predicament, almost acting on instinct, gracefully and accurately dodging each tree that falls upon him.

 

  Quincy cheers for him while eating apples and running ahead, laughing gleefully and excitedly.  For all reasons he couldn’t understand, Markus was starting to think that maybe that Quincy was just a little boy trapped in an old man’s body.  But then again, there are people who have acted like that before, so he doesn’t pay it much mind and he keeps running, both determined and also dazzled by Quincy’s unwavering energy.  He keeps on running, feeling the surge of energy and power swelling up inside him, and noticing that now he doesn’t feel as fatigued as when he had started this training, and he starts to realize that his senses are now better, and he finds himself adapting, evolving, bettering himself, and Markus smiles and nods and keeps on running, as tree after tree falls behind him.  “I can do this.  I’ve already made it this far, I won’t stop now!” he says to himself, determined to make it through, feeling the desperate need to survive, and the sensation of accomplishing the impossible.  Quincy shouts out from ahead: “Come on boy, don’t slow down on me now!  Your making excellent progress, so keep at it!  Come on, get your legs moving and get over here!”  Markus smiles and screams: “Don’t worry old man, I’ll get to you in no time!”

 

(Start Song Here)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnn1heiTDsU

  With that, Quincy smiles and points upward, and Markus looks up and sees that a dozen trees fall and block the path, barring Markus from reaching Quincy.  Markus sees the wall of trees before him, and he starts climbing desperately fast, as he hears the creaks of more falling trees behind him.  Markus climbs upwards with swift precision, and he makes it to the top and he jumps towards a soft patch of grass and he keeps running, and behind him, the trees fall on the giant wall of trees, causing a sickening cracking noise.  Markus sighs of relief and keeps running, and he closes his eyes, and he finds himself feeling calm and relaxed.  As he loses himself in his subconscious, he feels a strong and reassuring warmth inside him, a comforting warmth, he thinks to himself.  When he reaches out, he sees Keera before him, with her angelic smile, looking at him, as if wanting to tell him something.  Markus thinks for a moment on what she wants to show him, as only silence looms between them.  “I miss you.” he whispers and smiles, as he reaches out for Keera but finds that his hand goes through her ghostly body, and then he is reminded again that she’s nothing more than an apparition to him.  But, apparition or no apparition, the warmth he feels is a warmth that is real and strong, and with that he smiles and looks into Keera’s eyes.

 

  She walks in circles around him, as if examining him, and she smiles and giggles, and she spins around blissfully, and then she points towards an image that pops into existence, an image about Katrina and Michaela and Denzel and the others.  Markus immediately understood what she wanted to say.  “Yes, they’re all safe and sound.  I’m doing my best to fight for them, to make sure that they stay safe.”  Upon listening those words, Keera nods and smiles and then she heads over to his left and sits down beside him, and she gazes upwards, as if there were stars to look at.  Markus smiles and then he looks towards the dark horizon.  “I have to go now Keera.  A few phases more, and my training is over.”  With that, Keera turns around to face him and she smiles and nods and then she fades away, and Markus opens his eyes and realizes he’s almost at the end of the trail, and he looks behind for a moment, and he sees the tons of hundreds of trees that have already fallen.  He feels surprised that he’s made it this far into the trail, and then he keeps on running, and he dodges sharply to some trees that suddenly fell from his right, and then he dodge rolled to safety as three more trees threatened to crush him.

 

  For the rest of the trail, he kept dodging and weaving through the perilous trees, making sure not to get stuck, and just when he thought he had made it out, he had one more obstacle to face.  A giant tree lay before him, and unlike the others, this one would take a considerable amount of speed to run away from.  Markus sighs and takes a moment to catch his breath. “Sometimes, I really hate that old coot!” Markus says as he starts making a run for it yet again.  As he runs he feels the slow and steady crack of the giant tree, as it prepares to fall on Markus, but Markus runs faster, trying to outrun the giant tree, and then he sees the shadow of the tree growing and passing his own shadow.  “I have to be quick or I’ll get squashed!” he thinks to himself, and he looks around to see where Quincy could be, but to his surprise, he doesn’t see Quincy anywhere.  Not bothering to stop and wait, Markus runs desperately, outrunning the impossible.  And then that’s when he starts to feel the strong heart beats pounding against his chest.  The heart beats of fatigue and exhaustion bearing down on him.  “No…not now!”  Markus then trips and he scrapes his knee, and he stands up, ignoring the pain, and then he sees the giant tree about twenty feet away from crushing him, and he desperately runs and runs and he starts making leaps, hoping to cover distance much faster.

(End Song Here)

 

  And then, he jumped over a cliff, and he felt the immediate breeze that comes with falling from a very high place, and then he adjusted himself, falling headfirst, for below the cliff there’s a river, and so he prepares for the imminent dive.  Before he dives into the water, he hears the enormous thud the giant tree makes as it crashes to the ground and leaves silence in its wake.  With that, Markus sighs of relief as he dives into the river and then swims his way to the surface.  He then lets the current drag him away, and then he finds a riverbank on where to rest, and so he gets out of the water and falls on the muddied floor, exhausted and tired and feeling as though his heart is about to burst into a million pieces.  He struggles to get up, but he falls again to the floor, too tired to even stand.  A few seconds later, Quincy stands on top of him and pats his head and sits on him.  “Well boy, I must admit, you have mighty dodging skill!  I’m impressed by how many trees you dodged!  Not even I could dodge that many trees in my time!  You truly are something else boy!  I’m proud of all the progress you’ve made!  Good work Markus!”  He turns around to shake his hand, but he finds that Markus is already asleep.

 

  Quincy smiles and then drags Markus’ body deeper into the forest, and he pitches a tent and covers him with a blanket, and then he goes outside and sits on a nearby tree stump and sees the moon rise.  A few minutes pass and soon the sky is covered by stars, and Quincy lays back and relaxes.  “This boy has grown strong since I started training him.  His resolve sure runs deep, and he’s managed to get to phase five of my training.  I just hope he’s ready for phase six.” he says to himself as he clasps his hands together and enters deep in thought.  “The boy is strong for sure, but he’s still plagued by the errors of his past.  He’s been able to ease his suffering over the loss of Keera and Craig, but the boy still has a broken mind.  That’s something I’m going to have to fix right away.”  With that, he yawns and eats another apple, and then he checks up on Markus again and notices that he’s still sleeping.  He smiles and then sits on the tree stump again, and then he takes out three playing cards, all old and worn out, showing the passage of time.

 

  He puts the three cards before him, and he stays deep in thought, as if he was reading the cards, and then he picks the one in the middle, the king of hearts, and he holds it in his hand and then he smiles.  He puts the other cards away and he keeps the king of hearts in his hand, looking at it as if it was a brand new shiny thing.  “Markus my boy, tomorrow your most challenging trial awaits, and you must be prepared, for I’ll bring you a challenge worthy of your skill.”  He then looks up to the stars and falls asleep.  Meanwhile, in the tent, Markus is sound asleep, and as he sleeps, he thinks of his loved ones and he smiles upon feeling their warmth and voices in his head.  He looks forward to the day that he’ll finally be able to be with them again, to hold them, hug them, keep them close.  He waits for the day that he’ll finally be able to put an end to the danger his family faces, to the day Raven Sable is no more.  He smiles, comforted by his thoughts, and continues to drift his thoughts in his sleep.  “I’ll finally get rid of our nightmare…” he says in his sleep.

-----------------------------

 

Markus, exhausted from his last trial, must now prepare himself for what Quincy calls the most harrowing of all the phases of his training.  Will Markus be prepared for what awaits, or will he fall before he sees this done?  Stay tuned for Chapter Thirty: “Phase Six, Facing Yourself.”

Edited October 22, 201312 yr by Golden Fighter

Awesome chapter. "Facing yourself"? Sounds interesting. Is Markus going to have a face-to-face with all the mistakes he made in the past?